Not far off from God

🛐 Daily Prayer: “In his name we come up to the mercy seat sprinkled with blood"

Author

SpurgeonBooks
August 20, 2025

Pray with Spurgeon

Daily Newsletter from SpurgeonBooks

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Our God, we do not stand far off as Israel did at Mount Sinai, nor does a veil hang dark between your face and ours; but the veil has been torn by the death of our divine Lord and mediator, Jesus Christ, and in his name we come up to the mercy seat sprinkled with blood, and here we present our prayers and our praises, acceptable in him. We confess that we are guilty; we bow our heads and confess that we have broken your law and the covenant of which it is a part. If you dealt with us under the covenant of works, none of us could stand. We must confess that we deserve your wrath and to be banished forever from your presence. But you have made a new covenant and we come under its divine shadow; we come in the name of Jesus. He is our high priest; he is our righteousness; he is the well-beloved in whom you are well pleased.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” (John 16:24)

You have not been bold enough. You have asked a few petty things but you have never fully made use of Christ’s name. How many Christians have never learned to pray in the name of Christ! They say at the end of their petition, “For Christ’s sake.” That is good as far as it goes. I may ask a man to give me such and such a thing for the sake of another; that is good pleading so far as it goes. But if I dare to use the authority that my friend gives me to put his name at the bottom of my request, that is another and a higher thing. To ask in the name of Christ, to plead under his authority, this is to pray indeed.

PRAY FOR THE NATIONS

This week, we’re praying for the Bokoruge of Chad.

The Bokoruge are Muslim, but most do not follow Islamic teaching and also worship spirits and practice witchcraft. They are sinners who need a savior that Islam cannot offer them.

Pray that the Bokoruge would know that they are sinners.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Parenting in the name of Jesus

Just as we are powerless to pray in our own name, we don’t have the authority necessary to do the most important part of parenting on our own.

We need to call our kids to be reconciled to God, a task that they are far too sinful for. We proclaim the grace of God to our kids — but we have to do this work in the name of Jesus. Our kids cannot approach God on their own; they must do so in the name of Jesus. You cannot proclaim God on our own; we must do so in the name of Jesus.

If you want to unleash the voice of Christ on your home, so that your kids’ lives might be changed, check out God Centered Family, my series of family devotionals that covers the whole Bible (every chapter) and connects every page to Jesus.

FAITH’S CHECKBOOK

Spurgeon’s classic devotional, The Chequebook of the Bank of Faith, contains a promise of God for every day of the year. Pray with Spurgeon Plus subscribers receive the daily readings every weekday.

If you want to strengthen your faith in God’s promises (and support this ministry!), subscribe to Pray with Spurgeon Plus here.

“He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven.” (Job 5:19)

Eliphaz spoke the truth of God when he said this. We may have as many troubles as the work days of the week, but the God who worked on those six days will work for us until our deliverance is complete. We shall rest with him and in him on our Sabbath. The rapid succession of trials is one of the hardest tests of faith. Before we have recovered from one blow, it is followed by another and another until we are beaten down. Still, the equally quick succession of deliverances is exceedingly encouraging. Our confidence is that when the Lord makes our trials six, six they will be, and no more.

It may be that we have no day of rest, for seven troubles come upon us. What then? “No harm will touch you in seven.” Evil may roar at us, but it shall be kept at more than arm’s length and shall not even touch us. Its hot breath may distress us, but its little finger cannot be laid upon us.

We must prepare to meet the six or the seven troubles and leave fear to those who have no Father, no savior, and no sanctifier.

Something to think about today if you’re feeling like you can’t catch a break: the Lord has never abandoned you.

LAST WORD FROM SPURGEON

“Let my name perish, but let Christ’s name last forever!” — Charles Spurgeon